Tuesday, October 25, 2011

All transactions are done.
The prepaid security deposit on the apartment in Málaga was
returned. The unused healthcare was refunded. All funds have been
transferred from my Spanish to my American bank account. Permission
to use photographs has been given. So it is time to wrap up this
Web Site Story (West Side Story pun intended, as is the Beatles’s
Back In The USSR).

The return flight was long
and tiring. The first leg of the flight was from Málaga airport to
Gatwick. Then, a 45 minute bus ride to Heathrow. No flight activity
occurs between midnight and around 7am. My flight to Houston left at
10am and got in late. The next flight to Austin required a 2 hour
wait. But, I'm finally back home.

The first few weeks were
spend setting up house: getting an apartment, taking my stuff out of
storage, retrieving my vehicle from storage, updating registrations,
getting internet service, getting back in touch with my friends, etc.
BTW, I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone coming from Spain to
Austin, Texas, USA. Traveling can be expensive so eliminating the
cost of lodging and transportation while here helps. Just contact me
ahead of time at RonGarza(arroba)hotmail(punto)com.

What a great time I had in
Málaga! I really recommend it. Spain is more expensive than the US
but not that much more and, in my experience, it was safe, clean, and
modern -- and that is worth the extra cost. There are plenty of
things to do and see and lots of people to meet. Here is a picture of
(right-to-left) Margarita, Nacho, (I think I've forgotten his name so
I'll call him) Anders (sorry), and María at a going-away supper they
gave me and Anders, who speaks pretty good Spanish, English, and Dutch
and was returning to Holland. The food was great and included
champiñon, empananda salmorejo, and tortilla española. Margarita
hosts a Multi-Language Intercambio called Truequelengu. It can be
found on Facebook using truequelengu in the Search box.

What impressed me the most
about Spain was the civility. Spaniards would rather starve than rob
you and go to hell. When people are done eating, they reset the
chairs. A person on the bus gave a 10 euro note to the bus driver
saying, "I don't know who this belongs to, but I know it doesn't
belong to me". Women can (and do) lay topless on the beaches
without anybody harassing or even gawking at them. The cops "don't
take no shit from no one"; they are proud to be policemen.

The transportation system
also impressed me. Buses run all day and night, exactly on time. The
electric trains -- wow -- that was impressive. I counted to 35 going
through a tunnel on the way to Sevilla; that's a very long tunnel!
The ride was smooth and quiet.

Of course, no place is
perfect. I disliked the store hours (closed on Sunday and for a few
hours in the afternoons). I hated the noise that some (uneducated)
people make, like yelling from the street to people in an apartment.
Seriously, get some class. That and dogs pooping on the sidewalks and
the owners not picking up after them. They may or may not have been
Spaniards, it doesn't matter. You're in Spain. Don't do that. You'll
turn this place into a ghetto, and then leave to find "a better
place".

Given all the pros and
cons, I would return to Spain. I would not, however, attempt to get a
visado again. For as advanced as Spain is, it is still mired in
bureaucracy. I feel pretty sure that a visa was granted, but it got
lost somewhere between Manilva, Estepona, Málaga, and Madrid. An
American can stay in Spain legally without a visa for up to 90 days.
I would do that again.

I hope you have enjoyed
reading about my experiences. Please feel free to comment, but since
I may not check comments in the future, if you want an answer, feel
free to write me at the email address listed above, using the "at"
sign for arroba and a period for "punto".